Precast patio blocks



March 29, 1966 H, SCHNAAR 3,242,832

PRECAST PATIO BLOCKS Filed Aug. 5, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Iii (www

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United States Patent O 3,242,832 PRECAST PATIO BLOCKS Herbert Schnaar, 11630 Cloverdale, Southfield, Mich. Filed Aug. 5, 1963, Ser. No. 299,850 2 Claims. (Cl. 94-11) This application relates to patios made up of pre-cast stone blocks; and also to pre-cast stone blocks especially desired for and useful for patios; and also to methods of constructing patios out of such blocks.

Embodiments of the -invention have been disclosed in the appended drawings, for an understanding of which reference should be had to the specication which follows:

In these drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a portion of a patio formed of the -blocks of the invention, some of which are shown before filling material is added and others of which are shown after the filling material is added;

FIG. 2 is a transverse section view;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are similar views but showing modified forms of blocks;

FIG. 5 shows 12" X 12 blocks and 12 X 24 blocks laid edge to edge, each beveled according to the invention;

FIG. 6 is a similar view but showing conventional blocks without bevel;

FIG. 7 is a similar view showing conventional blocks without bevels but with the blocks spaced apart one inch;

FIG. 8 is a cross-section view illustrating a filling arrangement.

FIG. 1 of the drawing shows a portion of a patio 10 formed of a plurality of blocks 12.

Each block is rectangular, for example 12" X 24" and in some cases also 12" X 12". Each -block has all four of its upper edges bevelled as shown at 14, with the blocks being of a standard thickness such as about one and onehalf inches or in some cases two inches.

When the blocks are laid down edge to edge on a soil or ground base 16 to form a patio, there will be formed, because of the bevelling,l a V groove or trough 20 around each block, designed to be thereafter filled with a filling 22. This may be and preferably is a color contrast material. It may be of crushed stone or the like. It also may be of a self-hardenable fluid sealing compound of color contrast material such as tar, poured cement, and the like. It may be a combination of plastic with crushed stone. It may be .a preformed V strip of tar, cement, plastic, or the like.

The blocks are self spacing because they are laid down edge to edge and it is not necessary to provide a measured space between blocks. Spaces, however, appear on the surface when the grooves 20 are filled by the filling 22. When this is done the blocks appear to have been spaced from each other as is desirable in forming patios where visible spacing between blocks is considered desirable.

The filling at 22 also functions not only for providing the appearance of spacing between blocks but also to seal the crevices between the blocks and thus prevent grass and weeds from growing up between the blocks; and to prevent jewelry, coins, weed and grass seeds from fall-ing into such crevices; and to prevent high or spike heels from catching in the crevices.

The faces of the blocks may be finished to simulate slate by any available or suitable finishing process and may be finished in any one of a variety of colors, such as black, gray, red, beige, brown or the like, as desired.

In the forms shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, -the blocks have, in addition to the bevelling providing the V grooves, an undercut formation on two of its four edge walls at the under-surface and a nabbett formation at the other two of its four edges, to provide dovetal joints between the blocks under the V grooves 20 and the filling 22 in such ICC grooves. FIG. 3 shows the undercut 26 and the rabbett 28 of rectangular form; FIG. 4 shows the undercut 36 and the rabbett 38 of V form.

FIG. 5 illustrates how the bevelled blocks of the invention can be of a variety of sizes such as 12 X l2l and also 12 X 24" and yet maintain a uniform pattern despite the presence of visible grooves or troughs one inch around the blocks. FIG. 5 shows 12" X l2" plus l2l X 12" bev-elled blocks 12 of the invention. The pattern is regular despite the appearance of spaces between the blocks.

FIG. 6 shows 12" X 12" and 12" X 24" conventional 4blocks 42 without bevels and with the blocks edge to edge.

The pattern remains regular but there are no wide visible spaces between the blocks and this is undesirable.

FIG. 7 shows 12" X 12" and 12 X 24" conventional blocks 42 without bevels but with one inch spacing 44 and fiillng 45 between the blocks. However, the pattern has become irregular and this is undersirable.

FIG. 8 shows a filling composed of caulking material 50' which sets into a semi-hard form and with stone chips 52 worked into the troughs around the blocks in the caulking or filling. I-Iere the procedure is as follows:

After the blocks are laid down to form the patio, the troughs 20 around the blocks are filled to level A-A with caulking material 50 and then stone chips 52 are worked down into the filling whereupon the filling works up with the stone chips to the level of the surface of the blocks to provide not only a color and material contrast between the blocks but also a very desirable filling between the upper surface-s of the blocks made of the caulking material with the stone chips.

The bevelling forms a sealed -bottom trough for receiving a liquid self-hardening substance such as caulking material without loss of material in substantial quantity by flowing to the ground or seeping to the ground and flowing under the block to create an irregular pattern of surface smoothness.

Where conventional blocks are laid edge to edge there is no room for filling material.

If conventional blocks are spaced for receiving the liquid self-hardening substance in the space between the blocks, there is a considerable loss of material because of the flow of the material to the ground in the spaces between the blocks, because of the seepage of some of the material into the ground over a period of time causing the filling to become irregular as to surface contour, and in addition there is an irregularity of the surface of the patio caused by the flowing of the material under the blocks and thus causing the blocks to Work up and form an irregular surface contour.

Advantages and uses of the patio blocks herein disclosed will readily appear to those skilled in the art of using pre-ca-st stone blocks for patios or the like.

The blocks hereof may be simply characterized as self-spacing and ground sealing because of the self-spacing characteristics evidenced by the presence of the fillings at 22 in the grooves 20 and because of the sealing against grass and weeds coming up from the ground or soil underneath the blocks provided by the fillings 22 in grooves 20.

Now having described the patio blocks hereof, reference should be had -to the claims which follow.

I now claim:

1. A rectangular pavement of regular outline, such as a patio;

said pavement having a regular pattern and being made up of blocks and having visible top surface color contrast stripes between the blocks;

said blocks being arranged in edge-to-edge relation and comprising thin, factory precast stone, rectangular blocks of a variety of relatively large lengths and 5 4 u widths; certain of the blocks being squares and other 2. A pavement according to claim 1 wherein the Widths oblongs; and each having four edges; yand the lengths are selected from the group of dimenthe blocks having a uniform thickness not less than one sion-s 12 and 24 inches.

inch and not over two inches;

with the upper parts only of the edges being bevelled 5 References Cited by the Examiner all around, to leave the lower parts of the edges per- UNITED STATES PATENTS pendicular to lthe top surfaces to provide edge-to- 149,658 4/1874 Ingalls 94 13 edge seals of substantial height approximately one- 165,896 7/1875 Von Vel-Sen et al. v 94 13 half inch; .and color contrast material lling the 1,343,774 g/1920 Baughman 94 13 grooves on the surface of the pavement established 10 by the bevels of the upper edges of the blocks; FOREIGN PATENTS and with each width being at least siX times the 5951152 7/1925 Franc@ thickness; 277,587 9/1930 Italy.

and with the various lengths being .integr-al multiples of the various widths, said lengths being selected 15 CHARLES E' OCONNELLPHMW), Exammer' from a group of lengths comprising once the Width JACOB L NACKENOFF, Examinerand twice the Wdth- N. C. BYERS, Assismnz Examiner. 

1. A RECTANGULAR PAVEMENT OF REGULAR OUTLINE, SUCH AS A PATIO; SAID PAVEMENT HAVING A REGULAR PATTERN AND BEING MADE UP OF BLOCKS AND HAVING VISIBLE TOP SURFACE COLOR CONTRAST STRIPES BETWEEN THE BLOCKS; SAID BLOCKS BEING ARRANGED IN EDGE-TO EDGE RELATION AND COMPRISING THIN, FACTORY PRECAST STONE, RECTANGULAR BLOCKS OF A VARIETY OF RELATIVELY LARGE LENGTHS AND WIDTHS; CERTAIN OF THE BLOCKS BEING SQUARES AND OTHER OBLONGS; AND EACH HAVING FOUR EDGES; THE BLOCKS HAVING A UNIFORM THICKNESS NOT LESS THAN ONE INCH AND NOT OVER TWO INCHES; WITH THE UPPER PARTS ONLY OF THE EDGES BEING BEVELLED ALL AROUND, TO LEAVE THE LOWER PARTS OF THE EDGES PERPENDICULAR TO THE TOP SURFACES TO PROVIDE EDGE-TOEDGE SEALS OF SUBSTANTIAL HEIGHT APPROXIMATELY ONEHALF INCH; AND COLOR CONTRAST MATERIAL FILLING THE GROOVES ON THE SURFACE OF THE PAVEMENT ESTABLISHED BY THE BEVELS OF THE UPPER EDGES OF THE BLOCKS; AND WITH EACH WIDTH BEING AT LEAST SIX TIMES THE THICKNESS; AND WITH THE VARIOUS LENGTHS BEING INTEGRAL MULTIPLES OF THE VARIOUS WIDTHS, SAID LENGTHS BEING SELECTED FROM A GROUP OF LENGTHS COMPRISING ONCE THE WIDTH AND TWICE THE WIDTH. 